I am a nursing assistant/ pca in buffalo new york and i came in with no health care experience at all (transfered from the cafe). However i do know we hire nursing students as pca 1,2,3 or 4 for each year you are in school. The pcas 1-4 usually float around where needed and just basically help out becuase they can perform certian duties that normal pcas cannot so they are called from floor to floor.